powersurge wrote:I really feel that it is a lazy thing for people to post their potentially serious car problems on this site rather than pay the money to have a mechanic look at the car....

Do you really think that anyone on the entire site is actually going a) diagnose the problem (even the most experienced mechanic will not diagnose a problem until he SEES it)and b) the poster is going to be able to "fix" the problem by going on a cell phone app? NO...

Please do not post significant/ serious car problems to save $$$ from going to a mechanic....

I resent that. Although I can see where you are sort of right, that doesn't mean that it applies to everybody and every situation. We need to support each other with our Leaf problems. If for every problem the answer is "take it to a mechanic" then what's the point of having a forum about the car? I agree that there are things that we can't fix without a qualified shop or mechanic. But I sure would hate to take my Leaf some 300 miles to the closest EV certified Nissan dealership just to be charged a few hundred dollars for changing a fuse or something similar: something I could have done at home.

Besides that I personally I have had a terrible experience with many shops and am reluctant to take my car to a mechanic. I'd rather do the work myself if I can. There have been times that certified mechanics have even left my car dangerous to drive after a simple repair procedure. For an example, once a local shop replaced some strut bolts and nuts during an alignment job with the lowest quality nuts and bolts available. The struts came apart from the steering knuckles just a few days later. Another time at another shop they couldn't get the right shims in time and used pieces of plastic for shimming the suspension, again for a simple alignment. You can imagine how long that alignment job lasted? Not long! At another shop they accidentally cut a metal brake line on my dad's car when simply installing new tires and for some reason didn't notice it. He crashed into the back of his landlord's pickup at the first stoplight. Another time I made an appointment to simply have a key fob programmed for the Leaf at the closest Nissan dealership that is 68 miles away. I drove the whole way in a snow storm, making it there with less than 10% left on the battery (I did start out with 100% too). And when I got their I was then informed that they couldn't program my new key fob because they didn't have anyone there that was qualified to work on electric cars. To this day I still have only one key fob for my Leaf. I could go on and on about other shops too.

I could actually go on and on about mistakes mechanics have made on my family's vehicles, but the worst thing is that many haven't stood behind their work. And for $100 or more per hour, they really should. When those strut bolts and nuts were changed on my VW, for an example, it was obvious, because the orignials were hardened and flanged and used a 17mm wrench, and the new ones weren't hardened nor flanged and used a much smaller 14mm wrench. I had the proof and they had to fix their error. But after making them fix their mistakes, I've been told by many of these shops to never come back. And the same has happened to my Dad at a few different shops.

Now it's not that I hate mechanics or think there is some sort of conspiracy going on. I am a nice guy and don't yell or whine. I try to be as polite as possible. But I do ask that they fix their mistakes. I understand that everyone is imperfect and that mechanics aren't the exception. But if you mess up something as important as the suspension or brakes, I expect the problem to be fixed without being told that they did nothing wrong when it's obvious they did. I prefer that a qualified shop do work requiring expensive or bulky equipment that I don't have, like for doing alignments or balancing tires or rotating assemblies and such or resurfacing brakes or bearing races. There are a few shops I trust, and even recommend and am loyal to. But one only specializes in tires and balancing. They don't even do alignments. The closest shop that does generalized mechanic work, including alignments, that I and my family trust is 60 miles away. And actually both of these shops have made mistakes in the past; the local tire shop once forgot to clamp down the wheel weights after balancing a tire and the other shop bent some cotter pins the wrong way on my Golf that then made the hub caps pop off as the car went down the road. But both shops were very nice about fixing their mistakes and I still trust and recommend them.

Still, the situation is getting to where I'm seriously thinking of selling the Leaf and sticking to classic cars that I can fix easily. A lot of the mechanic shops around here need to be closed for malpractice. And I don't really feel like experimenting with shops that are over 60 or 100 miles away just to try to find one that can do a good job. And signing up to a forum who's only answer to problems with the Leaf is "just take it to a mechanic" is very discouraging. Yes, this may be something that only an EV certified shop or Nissan dealership can work on. But at least let's try to be supportive and direct these ones with Leaf problems to the best shops and dealerships we can. We can also thank these ones for posting their problems and ask them to help the Leaf community on the forum by please following up with how it turned out after visiting whatever mechanic they ended up visiting. Yes, not everyone has had as many bad dealings with shops and dealerships as I have. But if someone is posting a problem indicating that taking it to a shop is not their first choice, there must be a reason for that, and I highly doubt it's just laziness.

Last edited by IssacZachary on Mon May 21, 2018 1:43 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Jpdean wrote:Got in my car this morning put my foot on brake pedal and prest start my foot went to the floor and felt like the abs was activated it has abs light on tc light on and will not go in to ready mode has any one has this problem? It is a 2014 model have tried switching on and off and it had just come off charge

I haven't heard of this problem before.

But do you know what climate the Leaf has been in? (Humid, dry, hot, cold, dusty) Do you know if the brake fluid has been changed?

I'm not sure if this will help answer your question. But it could be possibly, maybe that whoever owned the car never changed the brake fluid and that this is possibly, maybe, perhaps causing this problem. I say this because some buy EV's thinking they are maintenance free, yet the manual says to change the brake fluid at least every other year. I figure Nissan must have put that in there for some reason.

I have "Powersurge" filtered. Not because I think he's a troll, but because he just blurts out whatever is on his mind at the time, without thinking about it. Life is too short to let that sort get you angry...

I agree that mechanics can make a problem worse, or create one where none existed. Dealerships can also run up huge bills by using their "Replace things until it acts ok" model. When I take a car to a mechanic, I try to both know what is likely wrong, and what needs to be done to fix it. Forums like this are good for that.

One slip ahead of this:

I say this because some buy EV's thinking they are maintenance free, yet the manual says to change the brake fluid at least every other year. I figure Nissan must have put that in there for some reason.

They do it as a sop to dealerships, to give them some revenue. Even sophisticated ABS system don't need new brake fluid more often than every three years. I had mine done at four.

LeftieBiker wrote: They do it as a sop to dealerships, to give them some revenue. Even sophisticated ABS system don't need new brake fluid more often than every three years. I had mine done at four.

Yes, I also doubt that not changing the brake fluid on a 4 year old car would cause this kind of a problem. But I thought I'd put it out there since that's all I can think of remotely close to why this is happening on Jpdean's Leaf. Maybe the car was driven in somesort of black lagoon area that made the brake fluid soak up more moisture and dirt than usual. I admit that that's a far fetched idea. GerryAZ's theory makes more sense than mine.

Some times ABS modules just break. I'm on a few VW Passat forums and it is a fairly common failure mode with those cars. For them, the recommended procedure is to remove the ABS control module, send it to a qualified repair shop (vetted by forum community over the years..) and re-install it. On a Passat, the brakes work normally without the ABS controller in place although there is obviously no ABS functionality.

I'm not sure how this all works on a Leaf but like Zachary said, I think a forum like this is a perfect place to discuss this sort of thing.

I just love this site. I love how a member has "filtered" me because I write what occurs to me. That is a terrible burden for me to bear.

I am called a troll because I caution posters to not try to diagnose or fix big problems themselves.

Members come to the defense of a Brand New member (with 1 post) who states his brake pedal goes down to the floor... Who's to say who is the real troll here.

I'm a regular reader of this site, and exercise my right to give opinions and tips on how to fix things on our cars...... AND also to tell people when they are over their heads and need to take the car to the dealer.

Those who disagree with this philosophy are dangerous. If you had chest pains, they would tell you to go on a probiotic diet..

powersurge I would take it seriously if I were planning on driving it witch I am not until it is properly fixed if I am capable then why line other peoples pockets if how ever I find that I am not able to fix this then it will go back to Nissan to be fixed hope that this meets your high standards

powersurge wrote:I just love this site. I love how a member has "filtered" me because I write what occurs to me. That is a terrible burden for me to bear.

I am called a troll because I caution posters to not try to diagnose or fix big problems themselves.

Members come to the defense of a Brand New member (with 1 post) who states his brake pedal goes down to the floor... Who's to say who is the real troll here.

I'm a regular reader of this site, and exercise my right to give opinions and tips on how to fix things on our cars...... AND also to tell people when they are over their heads and need to take the car to the dealer.

Those who disagree with this philosophy are dangerous. If you had chest pains, they would tell you to go on a probiotic diet..

Now no one is calling you a troll and your comments are appreciated. I even said that you are right. And as technology continues it's easier and easier for us to get over our heads. Someday maybe we'll have nuclear powered cars running around and someone will be asking how to fix his. Better to be safe than sorry!

But on the other hand some of us don't have a lot of money and feel that dealers and mechanics haven't always been fair to us. Reminds me of once a dealer wanted $800 to fix some brake lights and I ended up just fixing it myself in about 5 minutes and for $10 for a brake light control module I bought at a junkyard. Brake lights are important. But so is time and money.

Call me lazy and dangerous. Yes, when I've had ABS and traction control problems I've just pulled the fuse and kept driving. I make between $2,000 and $2,500 per month after taxes and budget 20% of that ($400-$500) towards my car expenses (payments, interest, fuel, insurance, maintenance, repairs, etc.). I guess I could go make more money and spend more on a newer and safer car. But my life isn't centered around making lots of money or owning the latest and greatest car. The car is for getting from point A to point B. My time and money are to help me do what I feel is important doing with my life. If push comes to shove, yes I'll take it to a dealer and spend whatever I have to spend to make the car roadworthy. But that's always going to be my last resort, no matter what.

I certainly hope that Jpdean can fix his problem, either by himself or at a dealership, without spending an arm and a leg, or literally losing an arm or a leg either. If clearing the DTC's works, then great! If it doesn't, then it's probably time to see what the dealership would want to do.